Two suspects charged in last week’s double murder on the Standing Buffalo First Nation made their first court appearances today.
One of them is a 17-year-old boy — the other is 22-year-old Kody Bear.
The courtroom in Fort Qu’Appelle was packed. Bear, wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans was in an out of court in about a minute. He said nothing, and had his case remanded until October 29th.
Bear, the youth and 21-year-old Brittany Bear are facing charges of first-degree murder.
They are accused in the deaths of 28-year-old Sheldon Yuzicappi and 27-year-old Jessica Redman, whose bodies were found in a home on the reserve last week.
Redman was a cousin of Standing Buffalo Chief Roger Redman. The chief was also the uncle of Amber Redman, who was murdered in July 2005. The chief says these tragedies have taken their toll on him:
“This is hard for an individual to talk about. But through prayer and through family and through support from leadership in the community, there’s a sense of obligation that I have to do what I have to do in times like this.”
Last week, Chief Redman appealed for calm on his First Nation.
Everyone on the reserve of 600 residents knows the victims and the accused — and emotions are still running high.